FRANKLIN COUNTY, MO (KMOX) - The president of the Labadie Environmental Organization reacted this afternoon to a judge’s finding that the Franklin County Commission did not break the law by amending zoning for a new Ameren coal ash landfill near the Missouri River in Labadie.

“It’s disappointing but we haven’t given up and there are opportunities to get this rectified, I think, to make sure people are protected,” Patricia Schuba said. “I’m pretty certain we will appeal the Eastern District on this case because we feel very strongly that the regulations do not protect the people of Franklin County.”

For Schuba’s organization, the fight against the project is approaching three years. She says Missouri lags behind other states, like Illinois, in its regulation of coal ash dumps.

“[Illinois dumps] are required to put monitoring wells around coal ash sites and to provide that information publicly. Then their agencies, like their Department of Natural Resources and their regulatory bodies, could step in when there’s a risk of contamination,” she said.

Schuba said a proposal in the Missouri House of Representatives to further regulate coal ash plants never made it out of committee last session.